Tag: Easter

#2300 The different faces of Easter

It was a different but really beautiful Orthodox Easter.

Different in that we went to a few extra places…

Beautiful in that we saw a few extra people!

Apart from the usual family-based Easter at Hubbie’s side of the family, we had a birthday party in the late morning that had me in the company of people I don’t usually see on Easter… my closest friends. The kids were shrieking and playing arcade/ticketed games, and just to be around my friends on such a day, felt so special.

We punctuated our Easter lunch with a park visit down the road, where both Hubbie and I swung around with baby girl on this 360 new-age see saw until we felt dizzy. 💫 But the sun was shining and the sky was so blue, we couldn’t stay indoors all day.

And then I got to see my bestie in a drive-by (sounds so sinister!) in the late afternoon, and get a glimpse of her precious baby boy. 😍

Honestly, I was in so many different places and across so many different people, it felt like the longest day, but also a really rewarding and beautiful one.

And whether or not you spend days like this with family, or with friends, I think the thing to consider is “is it with someone I love?” and if the answer is yes, you are WINNING.

🥰🥰

#2293 22 points on Easter ’22

  1. Baking hot cross buns in the morning to enjoy for breakfast… our self-made family tradition.

2. Baby girl still believing in the Easter Bunny. 🐰

3. Hubbie and I successfully convincing her to hide out in her room in case the Easter Bunny arrives.

4. Baby girl having a ball looking for eggs around the yard. 💖

5. Getting all the food ready in the morning to take to my parents (a feat in itself)

6. Having my parents well and healthy on this special day. 🙏

7. Enjoying an Easter feast together.

8. REALLY REALLY REALLY enjoying the Riccadonna. 🥂

9. Enjoying sitting outdoors on this breezy Autumn day.

10. Finding a plant in my parents yard from my childhood.

11. “Op, Op, Op, Op, Opa Gangham Style!” 💃

12. D&Ms.

13. Exchanging Easter treats.

14. Eating Easter treats! Chocolate mousse, droooool.

15. But first, COFFEE. ☕

16. Enjoying the cool change ’til light fades.

17. Bruce Springsteen songs that are fully self-indulgent.

18. Sharing the music love around the table. 🎶

19. Smacking mozzies silly with hands and sponges. 😂

20. Planning to leave by 5, but leaving after 7pm. 🤦‍♀️😂

21. Patting Mister F when we got home. 😻

22. But the BEST thing to end the day, was the beautiful kissing game I played with baby girl at bedtime. She had her lips on my cheek, but not doing the smacking kissing sound, just pressing her lips there, so I was kissing her all over her face, before she would grab my face and hold her lips to my cheek again, and around and around we went, cacking ourselves silly.

THE BEST. 💖💖

Happy Easter to all who celebrate today. 🐰💖🥰💝

#2291 A Good Friday

This year’s Good Friday was lovely and great and relaxing in so many ways.

I was Easter baking and cooking, but there was no rush, just nice and easy, no stress.

It was the anniversary of our furry friend Mister F coming to live with us! It’s been 3 sweet, tricky, and sometimes annoying years living with a master manipulator such as this cheeky pussy cat we have come to know and love. But we are absolutely in love with him, ALL of us, and we are constantly amused by his antics, as he is probably amused with us being so amused with him. 😏😻

And I had some time, to read! I really need to allocate more time to myself, even in like, 15 minute blocks. Instead, today I had over an hour (😁😁) and it made me happy to no end.

Of course there was also the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, and watching it has kinda become a tradition for me. It can be incredibly sad and heart-wrenching listening to some of the stories, and it definitely plants your feet firmly on the ground, putting life into perspective by learning of others illnesses… but it is also uplifting and hopeful, what with the charity and help and good nature of human kind put on show.

I will end on this true fact: children should not be sick. Give so they may grow. 🙏💖

Donate here: http://www.goodfridayappeal.com.au

#2289 3 days in sight

I don’t even care that I have to work tomorrow.

It doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

Beyond that I have 3 DAYS OFF… with Hubbie and baby girl!

WOO HOO!

This feels like a mini holiday. This feels like a version of summer holidays all over again, what with the temps in the 20s, and seeing as I have revisited my summer photos recently, I really am feeling those holiday vibes…

3 days off. There’ll be a whole lot of home-making, home-decorating, baking, and Easter eating going on…!

#1903 Double the Easter fun

When you get married to someone, you inherit a lot.

You inherit them. Their family. Their values, interests, ambitions.

You also inherit, their traditions.

And when it comes to the holy days of the year, you inherit those too.

And if they happen to fall on a different day, well…

DOUBLE THE FUN.

Easter. Christmas.

We have Catholic Christmas. Orthodox Christmas.

Catholic Easter. And then Orthodox Easter.

Double the fun! Double the food! Double the chocolate, and presents, and memories, and good times…

And it suits me just fine that we have these different, but oh-so-similar backgrounds. That we can blend them together in our family, baby girl gets a cultural taste of both, and we can make all of this work, FOR ALL.

And on that note… Happy Orthodox Easter to anyone celebrating today. I am about to pop, and yet I am going to walk back to the kitchen now for more sweet bread, otherwise known as kozinjak…

Cultural differences are beautiful. 💖💖

#1877 Appreciating the little things

The above post title feels really redundant to write, because isn’t that what this whole blog is about?

But I’ve been reflecting a lot on life at this moment in time, versus life at this time last year.

It is so different, but I don’t need to tell you that anyway.

Easter this year was wonderful, and when I think of how it was last year… well to be ghastly honest, the end of the day was pretty dark and depressing.

Last year’s Easter school holidays were monotone… home home home. And I was working from home too, so it was work work work.

This year we’re planning all the fun things we can do with baby girl, out and about town.

Last year, libraries were closed. SHUT DOWN.

This afternoon, I was seated in a library chair reading about writer Kurt Vonnegut as baby girl piled high a stack of books to take home.

We even stopped at a grocery shop, sans masks, and seriously, I am still getting used to the freedom.

No matter where things lead us this year… I remind myself, we are in a better place than where we were last year.

Forever, getting there. 🙏💖

#1875 The Easter love grows

She has grown so much.

Look at our girl, so big, so happy, searching for those Easter eggs with basket and bunny in arms.

And then Easter at a different place this year. Making memories at my parents new house, and this photo here…

This dessert photo doesn’t begin to translate the love felt, the happiness shared, the d&ms had, the music celebrated around the table as we swayed and sang in unison “It’s Amore.” 🎵

Amore. It sure is. ❤

Happy Easter. 🐇❤🎵😍

#1873 April sun in Melbourne

Well would you look at that?

An April beach day!

WHAT? And on the Easter long weekend. Sure we live near the beach, so heading there is often easier to manage than if we lived let’s say an hour away…

But still, you have to be free.

AVAILABLE. When Melbourne decides to turn it on.

And so to get a beautiful and warm summer’s day, in Autumn, in April, on a public holiday, Good Friday no less…

It sure was a Good Friday. We bathed in the sun, and I even read a book (for 5 minutes)…

But still! I read.

And I loved it. 💖📚🏖

#1872 Pretty and pink

It was Easter Hat parade day at baby girl’s school!

It was honestly such a joy to watch.

This time last year they were homeschooling and being told to make a hat to parade around home…

This year they could get creative again, but show it off at school in style!

I honestly love the school. During the parade event they make Easter jokes, there’s an Easter raffle, human-sized puppets in the form of Olaf and Mario make their way around to greet the kids, and even the police arrive in their crime scene van with sirens blazing to bring the main man.

Or should I say, the main BUNNY.

It was an Easter love fest, and the icing on the hot cross bun was watching the kids proudly showcase their hats as they walked around the oval, baby girl included. 😍

The Easter inspiration continued tonight. The sky was vibrant, reminding me of a rainbow, just without those segmented arcs of colour. And then we took a late walk around the block, and as it got darker, it was still beautiful.

Perfect for Easter. 💖🐇